Why It’s Crucial to Not Let Anyone Sit on Your Bed in Their Outside Clothes

If your girlfriend asks you to not sit on her bed — don’t be offended! It`s better to follow her example. If you have no idea what your clothes have been picking up all day, here are a few of these dirty little secrets.

Bacteria cling to the body like glue

Bacteria can live for weeks or even months on your clothes, according to Philip Tierno, MD, director of Microbiology and Immunology at New York University. Tierno adds, that even brand-new clothes can still be contaminated with germs, so it’s definitely a good idea to take off the shirt you’ve been walking around for 12 hours in, before sitting on the bed. This rule should apply to your guests as well.

Wearing your outside clothes on your bed can cause infections, rashes, acne, and even bring in fleas.

One of the reasons we often see acne on our back and chest is due to dirty clothes, which gather street and office dust, sweat, and dead skin — in general, the human body sheds approximately 500 million skin cells and about a liter of sweat daily. And your bed can be a great transportation hub for all that dirt.

Outside clothes have been everywhere. Literally.

Just take a moment to think about what your outside clothes have touched: subway seats, office chairs, bar stools, elevator walls, park benches ... Now think of how many more people have been on those seats! Would you invite them to sit on your bed? After you start noticing what your clothes touch on the streets, you’ll think twice before letting someone’s outside clothes touch your bed.

Your bed is a zone of comfort and safety.

You should be comfortable wrapping yourself in your blanket and hugging your pillow, as it’s a place for you to relax and gain energy. The Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard advises, for example, to not work in bed and spend time with friends in the kitchen or in the living room instead. So the brain associates the bed with relaxation and comfort, which is a great contribution to healthy sleep.